2.8 How to lasso select in edit mode?
The workflows can in fact be even more seamless in 2.80 if you dedicate some time to learning the new functionality

No, you do not have to drag the mouse to the corner of the screen every time you want to perform some operation. 

There is a whole lot of ways to do it now. I am not even sure I will be able to list them all, but:


You can have move tool active and Ctrl + right-click to use lasso select.
You can have any tool active and Ctrl + right-click to use lasso select and transform stuff with regular transform hotkeys G,R,S. 
You can select Select Lasso tool from the toolbar and then use it without the move gizmo visible and transform stuff with the regular transform hotkeys G,R,S.
You can switch between tools using keyboard shortcuts: Shift+Space->2 for Select Lasso, Shift+Space->T, or G,R,S for transforms.
You can right-click on the Select Lasso and Move tools on the toolbar and choose Add To Quick Favorites and then access them from Quick favorites menu with Q.
You can assign any shortcuts you desire to them.